Tag Archives: Italian

Lower Carb Amazing Red Sauce over Spaghetti Squash

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The sauce is so delectable and rich, you will not miss the pasta. You will shed about 30 carbs per cup from this dish though.

If you’ve never tried it, spaghetti squash is a big yellow squash that you bake and when it’s done, you use a fork to shred the flesh and it turns into strings that resemble noodles. It’s a healthier, lower-carb option than past; a cup of spaghetti squash has less than 10 carbs compared to about 40 carbs in pasta.

My amazing red sauce was adapted from a recipe my dear friend Heather Landwer gave me a few years ago. I had my own red sauce recipe at the time, but it took about 5 hours to make and this one is just as good but takes about 1 hour and 10 minutes (most of that time is just simmering). It is an intense, thick red sauce and it pairs perfectly with spaghetti squash. I liked the combination so much, I will not use traditional pasta again with this dish.

Amazing Red Sauce over Spaghetti Squash

Serves 4

1 (16-ounce) package Jimmy Dean Sage or Hot sausage

1 large white onion

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon dried basil

1 (12-ounce) can tomato paste (note, this is the big size)

1 tomato paste can filled with water

1 (15-ounce) can diced or stewed tomatoes

1 large garlic clove, chopped

2 bay leaves

1 large spaghetti squash

Olive oil and salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cut spaghetti squash in half and remove the seeds and strings in the cavity. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle salt on the flesh. Pierce the flesh with a knife in several places. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 1 hour.

While the squash cooks, chop a large white onion. In a pot or pan with a tight lid, fry the sausage and onion together. When sausage is nearly cooked, add oregano, basil and sugar.

When it’s cooked through, drain the fat off the sausage and return the mixture to the pan. Add tomato paste, water, tomatoes, garlic, bay leaves and bring to a boil for 1 minute. Then reduce to a simmer, cover and simmer for 1 hour.

When the squash is done, remove it from the oven and use a fork to shred the inside. Continue to shred until you have removed all the flesh away from the shell. Serve topped with red sauce.

Quick Chicken Marsala (with rotisserie chicken)

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One of the beauties of the rotisserie chicken, is its amazing versatility. You can shred the meat and use it for quick enchiladas, chop it for salads, or make something a little more sophisticated like chicken Marsala.

If you’ve never attempted chicken Marsala, you have to try my easy recipe. Now I admit, this isn’t as good as what you’d order in a restaurant, but it’s also on the table in 15 to 20 minutes so there isn’t as much time for the flavor to infuse, but it’s still delicious. For an at-home version using rotisserie chicken, it’s pretty impressive.

I’ve been tweaking this quick Marsala for a while and am finally happy with this dish.

This week, I am focusing on the chicken’s versatility.

I have insanely easy Southwest style stuffed bell peppers. I

Quick Chicken Marsala

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

Half a large red onion

1 tablespoon flour

8 ounces sliced mushrooms

1 cup chicken stock

1 garlic clove, chopped

1/8 teaspoon dried oregano

1/8 teaspoon Italian seasoning

2 rotisserie chicken breasts

2/3 cup Marsala wine

¼ cup heavy cream

Salt and pepper to taste

Couscous or rice for serving

Parsley or basil to garnish (optional)

Place onion in food processor and chop.

Heat oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat. When hot, add the onion and cook for 4 minutes. Then add flour and mushrooms and cook another 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to the vegetables as they cook.

While that cooks, remove chicken breasts from rotisserie chicken and cut into four pieces.

Add stock, garlic, oregano, Italian seasoning and chicken breasts and increase heat to medium-high. Cook 4 minutes until stock reduces and thickens. Add Marsala and heavy cream and cook 2 minutes. Serve over couscous or rice. If desired, garnish with fresh parsley or basil.

Serve over rice or couscous.